Information processing device, information processing system, and information processing method

ABSTRACT

An information processing device is located at a second spot and communicates with another information processing device located at a first spot. The information processing device includes an acquisition unit for acquiring first motion information of a user of the other information processing device at the first spot; a specification unit for specifying first meaning information indicating a meaning of the first motion information at the first spot and second meaning information indicating a meaning of the first meaning information at the second spot; a correction unit for correcting the first motion information based on a difference between the first and second meaning information, such that the first motion information indicates the first meaning information at the second spot; and a generation unit for generating an object of the user of the other information processing device at the first spot, based on the corrected first motion information.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an information processing device, aninformation processing system, and an information processing method.

2. Description of the Related Art

There is known a remote conference system for realizing conferences suchas a video conference in which attendees at remote locations can have aconference, by connecting a plurality of terminal devices via acommunication line such as the Internet, and sending and receiving imageand voice data in a bidirectional manner. Furthermore, there is alsoknown a technology of holding a remote conference by displaying a pseudoobject instead of an actual image (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Furthermore, there are cases where users having different culturalbackgrounds attend a remote conference, and the users cannotsufficiently understand how their gestures and facial expressions willbe interpreted by the other party. In order to eliminate such acommunication gap due to different cultures, there is known a technologyof estimating the meaning of a gesture based on the culture background,and providing the information obtained by the estimation by an icon or atext message (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

By the technology described in Patent Document 2, while a remoteconference is being held by exchanging image and voice data with thecommunication destination, it has been necessary to read and understandthe icon or text displayed on a display screen.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H11-224152

Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-246085

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an information processing device, aninformation processing system, and an information processing method, inwhich one or more of the above-described disadvantages are eliminated.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided aninformation processing device located at a second spot for performingcommunication with another information processing device located at afirst spot, the information processing device including a firstacquisition unit configured to acquire first motion information of auser of the other information processing device at the first spot; afirst specification unit configured to specify first meaning informationindicating a meaning of the first motion information at the first spotand second meaning information indicating a meaning of the first meaninginformation at the second spot; a first correction unit configured tocorrect the first motion information based on a difference between thefirst meaning information and the second meaning information, such thatthe first motion information indicates the first meaning information atthe second spot; and a generation unit configured to generate an objectof the user of the other information processing device at the firstspot, based on the first motion information that has been corrected.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided aninformation processing system for performing communication between aninformation processing device located at a second spot and anotherinformation processing device located at a first spot, the informationprocessing system including a first acquisition unit configured toacquire first motion information of a user of the other informationprocessing device at the first spot; a first specification unitconfigured to specify first meaning information indicating a meaning ofthe first motion information at the first spot and second meaninginformation indicating a meaning of the first meaning information at thesecond spot; a first correction unit configured to correct the firstmotion information based on a difference between the first meaninginformation and the second meaning information, such that the firstmotion information indicates the first meaning information at the secondspot; and a generation unit configured to generate an object of the userof the other information processing device at the first spot, based onthe first motion information that has been corrected.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided aninformation processing method including starting communication betweenan information processing device located at a second spot and anotherinformation processing device located at a first spot; acquiring firstmotion information of a user of the other information processing deviceat the first spot; specifying first meaning information indicating ameaning of the first motion information at the first spot and secondmeaning information indicating a meaning of the first meaninginformation at the second spot; correcting the first motion informationbased on a difference between the first meaning information and thesecond meaning information, such that the first motion informationindicates the first meaning information at the second spot; andgenerating an object of the user of the other information processingdevice at the first spot, based on the first motion information that hasbeen corrected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome more apparent from the following detailed description when readin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an information processing systemaccording to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an example of a hardware block diagram of an informationprocessing device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates a functional configuration of the informationprocessing device according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a background setting table according tothe first embodiment;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a motion information table according tothe first embodiment;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a voice volume determination tableaccording to the first embodiment;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of an expression determination tableaccording to the first embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart indicating the flow of the process of theinformation processing device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 9 illustrates a configuration of a correction unit according to thefirst embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart indicating a flow of a correction processaccording to the first embodiment;

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a background setting (excerpt)according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a correction content table accordingto the first embodiment;

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a motion mode setting screen accordingto the first embodiment;

FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a motion correction table for theappeal mode according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 15 illustrates another example of the functional configuration ofthe information processing system;

FIG. 16 illustrates an example of a functional configuration of aninformation processing device according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart indicating the flow of a correction processaccording to the second embodiment;

FIG. 18 is a flowchart indicating the flow of a delay correction processaccording to the second embodiment;

FIG. 19 illustrates an example of reaction request information accordingto the second embodiment;

FIG. 20 illustrates an example of correction possibility informationaccording to the second embodiment; and

FIG. 21 illustrates an example of delay correction information accordingto the second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A description is given, with reference to the accompanying drawings, ofembodiments of the present invention.

System Configuration

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an information processing systemaccording to an embodiment. In the system illustrated in FIG. 1, aplurality of devices are connected via a network for performingcommunication, which is a remote conference system, for example.

In the example of FIG. 1, an information processing system 100 includesa plurality of information processing devices 101-n (n=1 through 3; nbeing an arbitrary number greater than one) and a server device 102,which are connected via a network 103. The network 103 is acommunication network such as the Internet, or a wired or wireless LAN(Local Area Network) in a company, and a WAN (Wide Area Network). Notethat the plurality of information processing devices 101-n are describedas the information processing device 101 when they do not need to bedistinguished from each other.

The information processing device 101 is also referred to as a clientterminal, and is a terminal used when holding a remote conference viathe network 103. The information processing device 101 is, for example,a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, a tablet terminal, and anexclusive-use terminal for remote conferences.

The server device 102 has a function of controlling communicationbetween the plurality of information processing devices 101-n; forexample, the server device 102 has a function of receiving data from theinformation processing device 101-1, and sending the data to intendedinformation processing devices, such as the information processingdevice 101-2 and the information processing device 101-3. Furthermore,the server device 102 may perform a predetermined data process on datathat is transmitted/received between the plurality of informationprocessing devices 101-n, such as image processing, encoding, anddecoding.

Note that the above configuration is one example, and the number ofserver devices 102 may be greater than one. Furthermore, the informationprocessing system 100 may not include the server device 102, andcommunication may be performed by a peer-to-peer connection between theinformation processing devices 101.

The information processing devices 101-1 through 101-3 may performcommunication between the information processing devices, andtransmit/receive information of voices and images. Accordingly, forexample, a user of the information processing device 101-1 can have aremote conference with users of the information processing devices 101-2and 101-3, through voice and image data that are transmitted andreceived in a real-time manner.

Note that at this time, the displayed images relevant to the user of thecommunication destination may not necessarily be actual images of theuser. For example, an avatar conference may be held, in which instead ofusing actual image data of the user, only information relevant tomotions of the user (motion information) is transmitted/received, andthe information processing device 101 generates an object (avatar) ofthe user based on the received motion information, and displays theobject. By an avatar conference, it is possible to hold a remoteconference with a communication line having a narrower bandwidth.Furthermore, in an avatar conference, not only voices, but alsonon-verbal information such as gestures can be transmitted, andtherefore communication can be performed more smoothly than a voiceconference.

In the present embodiment, in an avatar conference held between a firstarea (spot) and a second area (spot), for example, the informationprocessing device 101 specifies, from first motion information of a userof a first area, first meaning information indicating a meaning in thefirst area, and second meaning information indicating a meaning in thesecond area. Furthermore, when the two specified meaning informationitems of the two areas do not match; i.e., when it is determined thatthere is a communication gap, the motion information of the first useris corrected such that the motion information of the first userindicates first meaning information in the second area.

Furthermore, the information processing device 101 has one or more ofmotion modes, for generating an avatar by emphasizing or suppressingmotions relevant to the corrected motion information. Furthermore, theinformation processing device 101 has a motion mode of generating anavatar by exaggerating the motion by a motion different from thecorrected motion information.

Note that the above functions may be separately provided in therespective information processing devices 101, or may be provided in adistributed manner across the plurality of information processingdevices 101 and the server device 102.

Hardware Configuration

FIG. 2 is an example of a hardware block diagram of the informationprocessing device 101 according to an embodiment. The informationprocessing device 101 has a configuration of a typical computer, andincludes, for example, a control unit 201, a main storage unit 202, asecondary storage unit 203, a drive device 204, a network I/F(interface) unit 206, an input unit 207, a display unit 208, an inputoutput I/F unit 209, and a system bus 210. Note that the server device102 may also have the same configuration.

The control unit 201 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) forcontrolling the respective units and performing calculation andprocessing on data. Furthermore, the control unit 201 is a processingunit for executing communication control programs stored in the mainstorage unit 202 and the secondary storage unit 203. The control unit201 receives data from the input unit 207 and the storage devices,performs calculation and processing on data, and outputs the data to thedisplay unit 208 and the storage devices.

The main storage unit 202 is a storage unit such as a ROM (Read OnlyMemory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The main storage unit 202 is astorage device that stores, or temporarily saves, programs executed bythe control unit 201 such as an OS (Operating System) that is basicsoftware and application software, and data. The secondary storage unit203 is a storage unit such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and a SSD (SolidState Drive), and is a storage device for storing data relevant toapplication software. The drive device 204 reads programs from arecording medium 205 such as a memory card, and installs the programs inthe storage device. Furthermore, for example, a communication controlprogram is stored in the recording medium 205, and the communicationcontrol program is installed in the information processing device 101via the drive device 204. The installed communication control programbecomes executable by the information processing device 101.

The network I/F unit 206 is a communication unit fortransmitting/receiving data via a network such as a LAN and a WANconstructed by a wired and/or a wireless data transmission line. Theinput unit 207 is an input unit used by a user to input information inthe information processing device 101, such as a keyboard for performingkey input, a pointing device such as a mouse, and a touch panel. Forexample, the display unit 208 is a display unit such as a LCD (LiquidCrystal Display), and performs display according to display data inputfrom the control unit 201. Furthermore, the display unit 208 may beprovided as a separate body from the information processing device 101;in this case, the information processing device 101 is provided with adisplay control unit for controlling the display unit

The input output I/F unit 209 is a unit for performing input and outputof data with respect to an external device. For example, the inputoutput I/F unit 209 includes interfaces between a camera for acquiringan image of a user, a microphone for acquiring the voice data of a user,and a speaker for outputting voice audio of the communicationdestination. The system bus 210 is an address bus, a data bus, and a busfor transmitting various control signals.

First Embodiment Functional Configuration

FIG. 3 illustrates a functional configuration of the informationprocessing device 101 according to a first embodiment. In FIG. 3, theinformation processing device 101 acquires information expressingmotions of a user, such as video images and voice data of a user, froman input device 308. The input device 308 is a device that can recognizemotions of a user, such as a camera, a depth sensor, and a microphone.Furthermore, the information processing device 101 outputs a generatedobject to an output device 309. The output device 309 is a device suchas the display unit 208 of FIG. 2 and a speaker. An object is an avatar,etc., for expressing the user of the communication destination.

The information processing device 101 illustrated in FIG. 3 includes amotion information generation unit 301, a communication unit 302, asetting unit 303, a detection unit 304, a correction unit 305, ageneration unit 306, and a storage unit 307. Note that the motioninformation generation unit 301, the setting unit 303, the detectionunit 304, the correction unit 305, and the generation unit 306 arerealized by programs executed at the control unit 201 of FIG. 2, forexample. At this time, the main storage unit 202 is used as a workmemory. Furthermore, the storage unit 307 is included in a storage unitsuch as the main storage unit 202 and the secondary storage unit 203 ofFIG. 2, for example. The communication unit 302 is realized by thenetwork I/F unit 206, for example.

The motion information generation unit 301 generates information (motioninformation) indicating what kind of motions the user is performing,including not only motions of the body but also voice sound, based oninformation expressing the motions of the user acquired from the inputdevice 308. The generated motion information is sent to the informationprocessing device of the communication destination via the communicationunit 302.

The communication unit 302 performs transmitting/receiving of dataneeded for performing communication with another information processingdevice via the network 103. Here, data needed for performingcommunication includes, for example, the above motion information. Inthe present embodiment, the communication unit 302 sends, to theinformation processing device that is the communication destination, themotion information generated by the motion information generation unit301, based on information from the input device 308. Furthermore, thecommunication unit 302 receives (acquires) motion information of theuser of the communication destination, from the information processingdevice of the communication destination.

For example, in the case of an object (avatar) constituted by a 3Dmodel, the motion information is, for example, quaternion informationincluding coordinates of the base with respect to each object, theorientation of the object expressed by three dimensions X, Y, Z, and therotation angle. With this quaternion information, it is possible touniquely define the mode of the object, and therefore the quaternioninformation of the respective frames is to be transmitted/received. Inthis case, the information of the 3D model is prepared by sharinginformation in advance or by having the user procure information onhis/her own.

However, facial expressions may appear to be unnatural if images areformed from position information. This is because as it is generallyseen in animations, motions that accompany expressions of an object thatare not realistic may not necessarily be the same as the motionsperformed by an actual human being for conveying the same intention.Thus, the information processing device 101 may determine the expressionby a method as described in Japanese Patent No. 3593067, sendinformation indicating the type of expression (delight, anger, sorrowand pleasure), and apply this expression to the model used at thereceiving side.

The setting unit 303 is a unit for making various settings relevant tomotions, in the information processing device 101. The informationprocessing device 101 includes a plurality of background setting tablesindicating the meanings of the respective motion information itemsacquired from the communication unit 302, according to culturalbackgrounds such as the language, the country, the area, the ethnicgroup, and customs. This is because the same motion may have differentmeanings if the cultural backgrounds are different. The setting unit 303is a unit for setting a table (first table) according to the culturalbackground of the communication destination (first spot) and a table(second table) according to the cultural background of the communicationsource (second spot), from among the background setting tables.Furthermore, this setting is referred to as a background setting.

Furthermore, the information processing device 101 according to thepresent embodiment includes a plurality of motion modes, including anemphasizing mode of emphasizing the expression of the object, a moderatemode of suppressing the expression of the object, and an appeal mode ofexaggerating the expression of the object. The setting unit 303 is alsoa unit for selecting a single motion mode from the plurality of motionmodes. Furthermore, this setting is referred to as a mode setting.

For example, the user of the information processing device 101 mayoperate a screen displayed by the setting unit 303 on the display unit208 and the input unit 207 of FIG. 2, to make settings such as theabove-described background setting and the mode setting.

Furthermore, in another preferred example, the information processingdevice 101 may acquire information such as the area, the language, andthe time zone of the communication destination, from the informationprocessing device of the communication destination, and set a backgroundsetting table (first table) of the communication destination, based onthe acquired information. In this case, even if the cultural backgroundof the communication destination is not sufficiently known, thebackground setting is appropriately made automatically.

The detection unit 304 detects (specifies) first meaning informationindicating the meaning of the motion information at the first spot,based on the background setting table corresponding to the first spot,from the motion information of the user of the information processingdevice of the communication destination (first spot) acquired by thecommunication unit 302. Furthermore, the detection unit 304 detects(specifies) second meaning information indicating the meaning of themotion information at the second spot, based on the background settingtable corresponding to the second spot. For example, the detection unit304 determines whether the motion information acquired by thecommunication unit 302 matches the motion information of the backgroundsetting table, and specifies the meaning corresponding to the matchingmotion information. For example, the detection unit 304 outputs themeaning information indicating the specified meaning, by attaching themeaning information to the motion information. Note that a descriptionis given of an example where the first meaning information and thesecond meaning information are detected by a single detection unit 304;however, there may be two detection units for separately detecting thefirst meaning information and the second meaning information.

The correction unit 305 corrects the above motion information such thatthe motion information indicates the above first meaning information atthe communication source (second spot), based on the difference betweenthe first meaning information and the second meaning informationspecified by the detection unit 304. When a table corresponding to thecultural background of the communication destination is correctly set asthe background setting table corresponding to the first spot, the firstmeaning information indicates the meaning of the motion information ofthe user at the communication destination. Furthermore, similarly, whena table corresponding to the cultural background of the communicationsource is correctly set as the background setting table corresponding tothe second spot, the second meaning information indicates the meaning ofthe motion information of the user at the communication source.

Accordingly, when the first meaning information and the second meaninginformation do not match, and the motion information is transmittedwithout being modified, it can be determined that a communication gapwill occur. Thus, the correction unit 305 corrects the motioninformation acquired from the communication destination, when the firstmeaning information and the second meaning information do not match.

Furthermore, the correction unit 305 corrects the corrected motioninformation, according to the motion mode set by the mode setting. Notethat specific contents of the correction performed by the correctionunit 305 are described below.

The generation unit 306 generates an object (avatar) of a user of theinformation processing device of the communication destination, based onthe motion information corrected by the correction unit 305, and outputsthe generated object to the output device 309. The information neededfor generating an object to be displayed on the output device 309 may besaved in the information processing device 101 in advance, or may beprovided from the device of the other party when the conference starts.

Here, a description is given of a background setting table. Thebackground setting table includes a plurality of tables indicating themeaning of each motion information item, according to culturalbackgrounds such as the language, the country, the area, the ethnicgroup, and customs.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a background setting table according tothe first embodiment. In a background setting table 401, a plurality oftables corresponding to cultural backgrounds are prepared, and eachtable is denoted by a label 402 for identification. Furthermore, thebackground setting table 401 is constituted such that the user canselect an appropriate table, according to a background 403, which is,for example, the language, the country, the city, the area, the ethnicgroup, the religion, or a combination of these backgrounds.

Furthermore, each table in the background setting table 401 may furtherinclude a plurality of tables such as a motion information table 404, avoice volume determination table 405, and an expression determinationtable 406.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a motion information table according tothe first embodiment. In a motion information table 404 illustrated inFIG. 5, a label 501, a motion type 502, a standard of motion information503, and a meaning of motion information 504, are associated with eachother. When the acquired motion information matches or corresponds tothe standard of motion information 503 of the motion information, thedetection unit 304 can specify the meaning of motion information 504corresponding to the matching or corresponding motion information.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of the voice volume determination table405 according to the first embodiment. Similar to the motion informationtable 404, in the voice volume determination table 405 illustrated inFIG. 6, a label 601, a motion type 602, a standard of motion information603, and a meaning of motion information 604, are associated with eachother. While the motion information table 404 is a table mainly relevantto body motions of a user, the voice volume determination table 405 is atable mainly relevant to the voice. When the voice information of theacquired motion information matches or corresponds to the standard ofmotion information 603, the detection unit 304 can specify the meaningof motion information 604 corresponding to the matching or correspondingmotion information.

Furthermore, the background setting table 401 may include the expressiondetermination table 406 for detecting the expression of the user.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of the expression determination table 406according to the first embodiment. In the expression determination table406 illustrated in FIG. 7, a label 701, a type of expression 702, astandard of motion information 703, and a meaning of motion information704, are associated with each other. By the expression determinationtable 406, it is possible to specify the meaning of an expression, whichcannot be read only from motions of the upper body of the user and voicesound. When the acquired motion information matches or corresponds tothe standard of motion information 703, the detection unit 304 canspecify the meaning of motion information 704 and the type of expression702 corresponding to the matching or corresponding motion information.

For example, the detection unit 304 outputs, to the correction unit 305as meaning information, the meanings of the motion information 504, 604,704, which have been specified based on the motion information table 404and the expression determination table 406.

Flow of Process

Next, a description is given of the flow of the process of theinformation processing device 101.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart indicating the flow of the process of theinformation processing device 101 according to the first embodiment.Note that in FIG. 8, it is assumed that before starting communication, afirst table corresponding to the cultural background of the first spotand a second table corresponding to the cultural background of thesecond spot are already set, from a plurality of background settingtables, according to the background setting.

When communication is started between the information processing deviceof the first spot (communication destination) and the informationprocessing device of the second spot (communication source) (step S801),the communication unit 302 acquires the motion information of the userof the information processing device of the first spot sent from thecommunication destination (step S802). Next, the detection unit 304 usesthe first table set by the background setting, to detect first meaninginformation that is information indicating the meaning at the first spotof the motion information acquired by the communication unit 302.Furthermore, the detection unit 304 uses the second table set by thebackground setting, to detect second meaning information that isinformation indicating the meaning at the second spot of the motioninformation acquired by the communication unit 302 (step S803).

Next, the correction unit 305 determines whether the first meaninginformation and the second meaning information match (step S804). Whenthe first meaning information and the second meaning information do notmatch, the correction unit 305 corrects the motion information of theuser of the communication destination (step S805). On the other hand,when the first meaning information and the second meaning informationmatch, the process proceeds to step S806 without correcting the motioninformation. Furthermore, the correction unit 305 corrects the motioninformation according to the motion mode set by the setting unit 303(step S806).

The generation unit 306 generates an object (avatar) of the user of theinformation processing device of the communication destination, based onthe motion information acquired from the correction unit 305 (stepS807).

Correction Process

Here, a description is given of a correction process by the correctionunit 305.

FIG. 9 illustrates a configuration of the correction unit 305 accordingto the first embodiment. For example, the correction unit 305 includes adetermination unit 901, a first correction unit 902, and a secondcorrection unit 903. Furthermore, in the storage unit 307, a backgroundsetting table and a correction content table are stored.

In the determination unit 901, the first meaning information and thesecond meaning information are input, which have been detected by thedetection unit 304. The determination unit 901 compares the input firstmeaning information and the second meaning information, and when thesetwo meanings do not match, the determination unit 901 instructs thefirst correction unit 902 to correct the motion information of the userof the first spot input from the communication unit 302. Thedetermination unit 901 determines the correction contents by the firstcorrection unit 902. Note that the configuration where the determinationunit 901 determines the correction contents is one example; thecorrection contents of the motion information may be determined by thefirst correction unit 902.

The first correction unit 902 corrects the motion information of theuser of the information processing device of the first spot, accordingto instructions for correction from the determination unit 901.Specifically, the first correction unit 902 corrects the motioninformation of the user of the information processing device of thefirst spot, such that the motion information of the user of the firstspot indicates the first meaning information at the second spot.

According to the motion mode set by the setting unit 303, the secondcorrection unit 903 corrects the motion information output from thefirst correction unit 902, and outputs the corrected motion informationto the generation unit 306.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart indicating a flow of a correction processaccording to the first embodiment. The determination unit 901 acquiresthe first meaning information and the second meaning information outputfrom the detection unit 304 (step S801). The determination unit 901determines whether the first meaning information and the second meaninginformation match (step S802). When the first meaning information andthe second meaning information match, it is considered that there is nocommunication gap between the first point of the communicationdestination and the second point of the communication source. Therefore,the correction unit 305 does not need to correct the motion informationacquired from the communication unit 302.

On the other hand, in step S802, when the first meaning information andthe second meaning information do not match, it is considered that thereis a communication gap between the first point of the communicationdestination and the second point of the communication source. In thiscase, the first correction unit 902 determines whether there is acorrection content table (step S803). When there is a correction contenttable, the first correction unit 902 corrects the motion informationaccording to the correction content table (step S804).

On the other hand, in step S803, when there is no correction contenttable, the motion information is corrected based on the backgroundsetting table corresponding to the first point and/or the backgroundsetting table corresponding to the second point, set by the backgroundsetting (step S805). The second correction unit 903 corrects thecorrected motion information according to the motion mode.

Specific examples of the correction contents of the first correctionunit 902 are described.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a background setting (excerpt)according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 illustrates an excerptedmotion (nodding with voice) of part of a background setting table.Furthermore, as a first table, label 1 (Japanese/Tokyo, Japanese/other)of the background setting table of FIG. 4 is set, and as a second table,label 4 (Spanish/Mexico City) is set.

In this case, when the user of a first spot of the communicationdestination performs a nodding motion of tilting his face forward by 8degrees, in the first table, the standard of the motion information isthe face “is tilted forward by 5 degrees or more”, and therefore thefirst meaning information is “affirmative”. Meanwhile, in the secondtable, the standard of the motion information is the face “is tiltedforward by 10 degrees or more”, and therefore the second meaninginformation is not “affirmative”, and therefore the two meaninginformation items do not match.

In this case, the first correction unit 902 confirms whether acorrection content table corresponding to the first table and the secondtable is stored in the storage unit 307.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a correction content table accordingto the first embodiment. In FIG. 12, with respect to a label A-1.1,according to a combination of a first table 1201 and a second table1202, a correction content 1203 is defined. In the example of FIG. 11,the first table is label 1 and the second table is label 4, andtherefore according to the correction content table of FIG. 12, acorrection is made to increase the motion of the face by 50%.

In the above example, the user is tilting his face forward by 8 degrees,and therefore the correction unit 305 corrects the motion to tilting theface forward by 12 degrees, based on the correction content table. Notethat in the correction content table, correction contents as illustratedin FIG. 12 are respectively recorded in association with the motiontypes and labels. Furthermore, the correction content table is createdsuch that the motion information indicates the same meaning as the firstspot at the second spot, by making corrections according to thecorrection content table.

On the other hand, when there is no correction content table, thecorrection unit 305 corrects the motion information based on the firsttable and/or the second table set in the background setting. In theexample of FIG. 11, it is known from the second table that, by makingthe face tilt forward by 10 degrees or more, the meaning of the motioninformation also becomes “affirmative” at the second spot. Therefore,the correction unit 305 makes a correction such that the face tiltsforward by 10 degrees or more. For example, by setting the ratio to be120% with respect to the threshold of 10 degrees, a correction is madeto make the face tilt forward by 12 degrees. Note that by increasing ordecreasing this ratio, it is possible to emphasize or suppress themotion of the avatar of the user of the communication destination.

Furthermore, the motions of a human being may vary even for a motion ofthe same meaning, and therefore, if the same correction is made everytime for the same input (first meaning information and second meaninginformation), the motions of the avatar may appear unnatural. Therefore,a plurality of correction contents may be prepared for the first meaninginformation and second meaning information, and the process content maybe randomly selected. Note that the plurality of correction contents mayinclude different correction contents or correction contents ofdifferent timings. The correction unit 305 outputs the motioninformation that has been corrected, to the generation unit 306.

Motion Mode

Next, a description is given of a motion mode of the informationprocessing device 101. The information processing device 101 includes aplurality of motion modes for expressing the motion information, forwhich the communication gap has been corrected by the first correctionunit 902, in an emphasized, suppressed, or exaggerated manner.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a motion mode setting screen accordingto the first embodiment. In the example of FIG. 13, for example, thesetting unit 303 displays, on the display unit 208 of FIG. 2, a motionmode setting screen including a regular mode 1301, an emphasizing mode1302, a moderate mode 1303, and an appeal mode 1304. The above fourmotion modes are examples; the number of motion modes may be other thanfour. The user can select the motion mode of the information processingdevice 101 from the motion mode setting screen.

Among the four modes illustrated in FIG. 13, the regular mode 1301 is amotion mode for making a correction by the first correction unit 902 toeliminate the communication gap between motion information items, andfor not making any additional corrections by the second correction unit903.

The emphasizing mode 1302 is a mode for making a correction to increasethe motion relevant to the motion information acquired from the firstcorrection unit 902, and generating an object of the user of thecommunication destination based on the correction. In this motion mode,for example, in the case of a nodding motion, the second correction unit903 makes a correction to increase the nodding angle. For example, theinformation processing device 101 may include a correction table for theemphasizing mode associated with the background setting, and the secondcorrection unit 903 may correct the motion information according to thiscorrection table for the emphasizing mode. The second correction unit903 may simply make a correction to increase the target motion, withoutusing a correction table. The generation unit 306 generates an object ofthe user of the communication destination, based on the corrected motioninformation.

The moderate mode 1303 is a motion mode for making a correction todecrease the motion relevant to the motion information acquired from thefirst correction unit 902, and generating an object of the user of thecommunication destination based on the correction. For example, thesecond correction unit 903 makes a correction to decrease the noddingangle in the case of a nodding motion. Similar to the emphasizing mode,the information processing device 101 may include a correction table forthe moderate mode, and the second correction unit 903 may correct themotion information according to this correction table for the moderatemode. Alternatively, the second correction unit 903 may simply make acorrection to decrease the target motion, without using a correctiontable. The generation unit 306 generates an object of the user of thecommunication destination, based on the corrected motion information.

The appeal mode 1304 is a mode for making a correction to exaggerate themotion relevant to the motion information acquired from the firstcorrection unit 902, and generating an object of the user of thecommunication destination based on the correction. The appeal mode 1304does not only increase the motion of the user of the communicationdestination, but also makes a correction of, for example, increasing thesize of the face of the object of the user of the communicationdestination, or making the object approach the viewer, when the voicelevel of the user of the communication destination suddenly increases.Furthermore, when there are continuously no voices or motions of theuser of the communication destination, the object of the user of thecommunication destination may become pale (change transparency).Furthermore, when the voice level of the communication destination iscontinuously high, a correction may be made to change the color of theface of the object of the user of the communication destination to a redcolor (change color of object).

That is to say, in the appeal mode 1304, the motion relevant to themotion information of the user of the communication destination isexaggerated, by using a different motion. In this case, the motion ofthe object of the user of the communication destination is allowed to bea motion that is impossible or difficult for an actual human being.

Note that in the appeal mode 1304, the motion information of the objectof the user of the communication destination may be changed, accordingto the voice level of the communication source. For example, when a loudvoice sound is suddenly generated at the communication source, acorrection may be made to change the shapes of the eyes of the object ofthe user of the communication destination, to “><” (change shape ofobject).

FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a motion correction table for theappeal mode according to the first embodiment. In the example of FIG.14, in the motion correction table for the appeal mode, a motion/meaning1401, a correction motion 1402, and a correction execution probability1403, are associated with each other. For example, the second correctionunit 903 specifies the motion/meaning 1401 of FIG. 14 according to firstmeaning information acquired from the detection unit 304. The secondcorrection unit 903 corrects the motion information according to thecorrection motion 1402 corresponding to the specified motion/meaning1401.

Note that as illustrated in FIG. 14, there may be set a plurality of thecorrection motions 1402 corresponding to a single motion/meaning 1401.For example, when the motion/meaning 1401 of the user of thecommunication destination is “affirmative”, it is rather unnatural ifthe object of the user jumps up every time the user of the communicationdestination nods. Therefore, the information processing device 101 mayprepare a plurality of correction motions 1402 according to a singlemotion/meaning 1401, and may randomly select a correction motion 1402and generate an object. Furthermore, a correction execution probability1403 may be defined for each correction motion 1402, and the motioninformation may be corrected based on the correction executionprobability 1403 and an object may be generated based on the correction.

As described above, in the appeal mode, the motion of the user of thecommunication destination is deformed, so that non-verbal information isexpressed by a more easily comprehensible motion.

Next, a description is given of a preferred example mainly relevant tothe moderate mode. In the moderate mode, a motion correction table maybe provided similar to the appeal mode; however, usually, a correctionof simply decreasing the motion relevant to the motion information willsuffice. However, it is necessary to make sure that the meaninginformation of the motion does not change as a result of decreasing themotion.

For example, referring back to FIG. 11, as described above, when theface of the user of the communication destination is tilted forward by 8degrees, this is determined as “affirmative” in the first table, but isnot determined as “affirmative” in the second table. In this case, inthe above description, the correction unit 305 corrects the motioninformation of the user of the communication destination such that theface is tilted forward by 12 degrees, based on the motion correctiontable or the background setting table. Meanwhile, if the forward tiltingof 12 degrees is simply decreased by 30%, the forward tilting becomes 9degrees, which may cause the problem of not being determined as“affirmative” at the second spot again.

In order to resolve such a problem, a correction may be made within arange such that does not change the meaning information, when decreasingthe motion in the moderate mode. For example, in the above example ofFIG. 11, the forward tilting of the face of 10 degrees is the lowerlimit of being determined as “affirmative” by the second table, andtherefore the correction by the moderate mode is performed within arange such that the forward tilting of the face does not become lessthan 10 degrees. Alternatively, in the moderate mode, the correction maybe made by simply setting the angle to the lower limit value of beingdetermined as “affirmative” by the second table.

Similarly, in the emphasizing mode, a limit may be set to make acorrection within a range such that the meaning of the motion does notchange as a result of increasing the motion.

SUMMARY First Embodiment

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possibleto provide an information processing device that reduces thecommunication gap caused by different cultures, and that facilitatescommunications with a remote location, in communications performed viathe network.

In the present embodiment, according to motion information of acommunication destination, the meaning information of a communicationdestination and the meaning information of a communication source arespecified, and when the specified two meaning information items do notmatch, the motion information of the communication destination iscorrected, and therefore the communication gap is reduced.

Furthermore, the object of the user of the communication destination isgenerated according to the corrected motion information and the motionmode, and therefore communications with a remote location arefacilitated.

Furthermore, as the motion mode, there is an appeal mode of exaggeratingthe motion relevant to the corrected motion information by a differentmotion, and therefore communications with a remote location are furtherfacilitated.

Furthermore, it is possible to select a plurality of motion modes suchas a moderate mode and an emphasizing mode, and therefore it is possibleto select a preferable mode according to the circumstance, such ascommunications in a business scene or communications with friends.

Note that the above configuration is one example, and does not limit thescope of the present invention. For example, the information processingdevice 101 is described as performing various processes of detecting,correcting, and generating at the receiving side; however, the sameprocesses may be performed at the sending side. Furthermore, whencommunicating with a general-purpose device that does not includefunctions of embodiments of the present invention, the same processesmay be performed at both the sending side and the receiving side.Furthermore, at least part of the setting unit 303, the detection unit304, the correction unit 305, and the generation unit 306 may beincluded in the server device 102.

FIG. 15 illustrates another example of the functional configuration ofthe information processing system 100. In the example of FIG. 15, theserver device 102 includes a setting unit, a detection unit, and acorrection unit. Furthermore, the information processing devices 101-1and 101-2 perform communication via the server device 102. The serverdevice 102 sets background setting tables of a first spot where theinformation processing device 101-1 is located and a second spot wherethe information processing device 101-2 is located, and corrects thebidirectional motion information between the information processingdevice 101-1 and the information processing device 101-2. For example,as described above, the present embodiment may have various systemconfigurations according to the purpose and the objective.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 16 illustrates an example of a functional configuration of aninformation processing device 1600 according to a second embodiment. Inthe information processing device 1600 according to the presentembodiment, a delay detection unit 1601 is added to the functionalconfiguration of the information processing device 101 according to thefirst embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3. Furthermore, some functions ofthe detection unit 304 and the correction unit 305 are added. In thefollowing, the differences between the information processing device1600 according to the present embodiment and the information processingdevice 101 according to the first embodiment are mainly described.

The delay detection unit 1601 is a unit for detecting a communicationdelay between the communication destination (first spot) and thecommunication source (second spot); for example, the delay detectionunit 1601 is realized by a program operating in the control unit 201 ofFIG. 2. For example, the delay detection unit 1601 may measure thecommunication delay by executing ping to the communication destinationand measuring the response time to measure the communication delay. Thedelay detection unit 1601 outputs the measured communication delay tothe correction unit 305.

Furthermore, in the detection unit 304, the motion information of theuser of the communication source (second motion information) generatedby the motion information generation unit 301 is input, in addition tothe motion information of the user of the communication destinationacquired by the communication unit 302. In addition to the operationsdescribed in the first embodiment, the detection unit 304 uses themotion information table of FIG. 5, to specify a first motion typecorresponding to the motion information of the user of the communicationdestination and a second motion type corresponding to the motioninformation of the user of the communication source.

As the motion information table used in this case, a table correspondingto the cultural background of the communication source (second spot) maybe used, which is set by the background setting described in the firstembodiment. Furthermore, a separate setting may be made. The detectionunit 304 outputs the specified first motion type and second motion typeto the correction unit 305. Note that in the above description, thedetection unit 304 specifies the first motion type and second motiontype; however, it is needless to say that a second detection unit may beseparately provided for performing the above detection.

In the correction unit 305, in addition to the first meaning informationand the second meaning information described in the first embodiment,the first motion type and the second motion type described above areinput.

Incidentally, the processes of the detection unit 304 and the correctionunit 305 require a certain amount of time, as is made obvious byreferring to the standard of motion information 603 of the voice volumedetermination table of FIG. 6, for example. Therefore, for example, thecorrection unit 305 may perform the correction process after apredetermined delay time, such as until necessary information isreceived from the detection unit 304.

Note that due to this predetermined delay time and a communication delaywith respect to the communication destination, there are cases wherespeeches collide or cases where there is silence, during thecommunication with the communication destination. Therefore, in thepresent embodiment, the correction unit 305 makes a correction ofcompensating for the delay caused by the above predetermined delay timeand the communication delay, based on the first motion type and thesecond motion type acquired from the detection unit 304, in addition tocorrecting the motion information according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart indicating the flow of a correction processaccording to the second embodiment. The step of waiting for apredetermined delay time (step S1704) is added to the flowchart of thefirst embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8. Furthermore, in the presentembodiment, a delay correction process of compensating for the delaycaused by the above predetermined delay time and the communicationdelay, is performed in parallel.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart indicating the flow of a delay correction processaccording to the second embodiment. When communication is startedbetween the communication destination and the communication source (stepS1801), the detection unit 304 acquires motion information of the userof the communication destination from the communication unit 302, andacquires motion information of the user of the communication source fromthe motion information generation unit 301 (step S1802). The detectionunit 304 uses a predetermined motion information table and specifies thefirst motion type of the user of the communication destination and thesecond motion type of the user of the communication source (step S1803).The correction unit 305 determines whether the motion of the user of thecommunication source is a reaction request motion, based on the detectedsecond motion type (step S1804). A reaction request motion is a changein the motion expressing that the user is expecting a reaction.

FIG. 19 illustrates an example of reaction request information accordingto the second embodiment. For example, as indicated by a request motionlabel D-1 in FIG. 19, when a speaking user's motion changes when theuser is not speaking, it is considered that the user is expecting areaction of the user of the communication destination. In the table ofreaction request information, such a motion of expecting the reaction ofa user of a communication destination is associated with a requestmotion label.

The correction unit 305 determines whether the motion of the user of thecommunication source is a reaction request motion, based on this tableof reaction request information. When the motion of the user of thecommunication source has indicated a change of motion corresponding tothis table of reaction request information, the correction unit 305determines that a reaction request motion has been made, acquires arequest motion label, and proceeds to step S1805. On the other hand,when the correction unit 305 determines that the motion of the user ofthe communication source is not a reaction request motion, thecorrection unit 305 does not make a delay correction and ends theprocess.

Referring back to FIG. 18, in step S1804, when the correction unit 305determines that the motion of the user of the communication source is areaction request motion, the correction unit 305 determines whether atotal delay time, which is a total of the predetermined delay time andthe communication delay, is greater than or equal to a threshold definedin advance (step S1805). Here, when the total delay time is greater thanor equal to the threshold, the process proceeds to step S1806. On theother hand, when the total delay time is less than the threshold, thecorrection unit 305 does not make a correction and ends the process.

In step S1805, when the total delay time is greater than or equal to thethreshold, the correction unit 305 determines whether it is possible tocorrect the motion of the user of the communication destination, basedon the detected first motion type (step S1806).

FIG. 20 illustrates an example of correction possibility informationaccording to the second embodiment. In the table of the correctionpossibility information, the motion type detected by the detection unit304, and the possibility of correction are associated with each other.The correction unit 305 determines whether it is possible to correct themotion of the user of the communication destination, based on this tableof the correction possibility information, and when correction ispossible, the process proceeds to step S1807. On the other hand, whencorrection is not possible, the correction unit 305 does not make acorrection and ends the process.

In step S1807 of FIG. 18, an additional correction is made on the motioninformation of the user of the communication destination. For example,the correction unit 305 makes the above additional correction on themotion information that has been corrected in step S1706 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 21 illustrates an example of delay correction information accordingto the second embodiment. In the table of delay correction information,a request motion label and a correction motion are associated with eachother. This request motion label corresponds to the request motion labelof the table of the reaction request information of FIG. 19. Therefore,in step S1804, when the correction unit 305 determines that the motionof the user of the communication source is a reaction request motion,the correction unit 305 acquires a request motion label corresponding tothe motion change of the user, from the table of reaction requestinformation of FIG. 19. Then, in step S1807, the correction unit 305determines the correction content corresponding to the acquired requestmotion label from the table of delay correction information of FIG. 21,and makes an additional correction to the motion information to beoutput to the generation unit 306.

Note that in the above description, the correction unit 305 makes thecorrection for compensating for the delay time; however, a secondcorrection unit may be separately provided for making the aboveadditional correction.

SUMMARY Second Embodiment

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a predetermineddelay time is provided before the correction unit 305 makes acorrection, such that the motion can be corrected upon acquiringsufficient information, and therefore motions can be corrected even moreappropriately.

Furthermore, a correction of compensating for the motion of the user ofthe communication destination is made, with respect to a reactionrequest motion, while the above predetermine delay and a communicationdelay are occurring, and therefore it is possible to reduce adverseeffects on communications such as collision and silence.

OVERVIEW

As described above, according to the above embodiments, in a remoteconference using objects of users such as avatars, the informationprocessing device determines the meaning of motion information relevantto non-verbal communications such as motions of the user after receivingthe motion information or before sending the motion information.Furthermore, the information processing device corrects the motions ofthe object of the user so that the communication partner can easilycomprehend the determined meaning.

Furthermore, the information processing device includes appeal mode usedwhen correcting the motion of the object of the user, by which acorrection is made by exaggeration such as deformation, which cannot beexpressed by motions of an actual human being, and thereforecommunications in a remote conference can be further facilitated.

The present invention can be implemented in any convenient form, forexample using dedicated hardware, or a mixture of dedicated hardware andsoftware. The present invention may be implemented as computer softwareimplemented by one or more networked processing apparatuses. The networkcan comprise any conventional terrestrial or wireless communicationsnetwork, such as the Internet. The processing apparatuses can compromiseany suitably programmed apparatuses such as a general-purpose computer,personal digital assistant, mobile telephone (such as a WAP or3G-compliant phone) and so on. Since the present invention can beimplemented as software, each and every aspect of the present inventionthus encompasses computer software implementable on a programmabledevice. The computer software can be provided to the programmable deviceusing any storage medium for storing processor readable code such as afloppy disk, a hard disk, a CD ROM, a magnetic tape device or a solidstate memory device.

The hardware platform includes any desired kind of hardware resourcesincluding, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a random accessmemory (RAM), and a hard disk drive (HDD). The CPU may be implemented byany desired kind of any desired number of processors. The RAM may beimplemented by any desired kind of volatile or non-volatile memory. TheHDD may be implemented by any desired kind of non-volatile memorycapable of storing a large amount of data. The hardware resources mayadditionally include an input device, an output device, or a networkdevice, depending on the type of the apparatus. Alternatively, the HDDmay be provided outside of the apparatus as long as the HDD isaccessible. In this example, the CPU, such as a cache memory of the CPU,and the RAM may function as a physical memory or a primary memory of theapparatus, while the HDD may function as a secondary memory of theapparatus.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, an informationprocessing device is provided, which is capable of reducing thecommunication gap due to different cultures and facilitatingcommunications with a remote location, in communications performed via anetwork.

The information processing device, the information processing system,and the information processing method are not limited to the specificembodiments described herein, and variations and modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

The present application is based on and claims the benefit of priorityof Japanese Priority Patent Application No. 2013-166760, filed on Aug.9, 2013, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein byreference.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing device located at asecond spot for performing communication with another informationprocessing device located at a first spot, the information processingdevice comprising: a first acquisition unit configured to acquire firstmotion information of a user of the other information processing deviceat the first spot; a first specification unit configured to specifyfirst meaning information indicating a meaning of the first motioninformation at the first spot and second meaning information indicatinga meaning of the first meaning information at the second spot; a firstcorrection unit configured to correct the first motion information basedon a difference between the first meaning information and the secondmeaning information, such that the first motion information indicatesthe first meaning information at the second spot; and a generation unitconfigured to generate an object of the user of the other informationprocessing device at the first spot, based on the first motioninformation that has been corrected.
 2. The information processingdevice according to claim 1, further comprising: a motion modeconfigured to express a motion of the object in an exaggerated manner,with a motion that is different from a motion relevant to the firstmotion information that has been corrected.
 3. The informationprocessing device according to claim 2, wherein the motion mode thatexpresses the motion of the object in an exaggerated manner changes atleast one of a size, a color, a shape, and a transparency of the object,based on a voice sound level of the user of the other informationprocessing device at the first spot or a user of the informationprocessing device at the second spot.
 4. The information processingdevice according to claim 1, further comprising: one or more of motionmodes configured to generate the object by performing at least one ofemphasizing and suppressing a motion relevant to the first motioninformation that has been corrected.
 5. The information processingdevice according to claim 1, further comprising: a plurality ofcorrection contents corresponding to the first motion information thathas been corrected, wherein one correction content is selected from theplurality of correction contents in a random manner or by a probabilitythat has been defined in advance.
 6. The information processing deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the first acquisition unit acquiresinformation relevant to the first spot from the other informationprocessing device of the first spot, and the first specification unitspecifies the first meaning information based on the information thathas been acquired.
 7. The information processing device according toclaim 1, wherein the first correction unit corrects the first motioninformation after a predetermined delay time has passed.
 8. Theinformation processing device according to claim 7, further comprising:a second acquisition unit configured to acquire second motioninformation of a user of the information processing device at the secondspot; a second specification unit configured to specify a first motiontype of the user of the other information processing device at the firstspot based on the first motion information, and to specify a secondmotion type of the user of the information processing device at thesecond spot based on the second motion information; a detection unitconfigured to detect a communication delay between the other informationprocessing device at the first spot and the information processingdevice at the second spot; and a second correction unit configured tocorrect the first motion information that has been corrected, accordingto a delay time including the predetermined delay time and thecommunication delay, the first motion type, and the second motion type.9. An information processing system for performing communication betweenan information processing device located at a second spot and anotherinformation processing device located at a first spot, the informationprocessing system comprising: a first acquisition unit configured toacquire first motion information of a user of the other informationprocessing device at the first spot; a first specification unitconfigured to specify first meaning information indicating a meaning ofthe first motion information at the first spot and second meaninginformation indicating a meaning of the first meaning information at thesecond spot; a first correction unit configured to correct the firstmotion information based on a difference between the first meaninginformation and the second meaning information, such that the firstmotion information indicates the first meaning information at the secondspot; and a generation unit configured to generate an object of the userof the other information processing device at the first spot, based onthe first motion information that has been corrected.
 10. An informationprocessing method comprising: starting communication between aninformation processing device located at a second spot and anotherinformation processing device located at a first spot; acquiring firstmotion information of a user of the other information processing deviceat the first spot; specifying first meaning information indicating ameaning of the first motion information at the first spot and secondmeaning information indicating a meaning of the first meaninginformation at the second spot; correcting the first motion informationbased on a difference between the first meaning information and thesecond meaning information, such that the first motion informationindicates the first meaning information at the second spot; andgenerating an object of the user of the other information processingdevice at the first spot, based on the first motion information that hasbeen corrected.
 11. The information processing method according to claim10, further comprising: expressing, by a motion mode, a motion of theobject in an exaggerated manner, with a motion that is different from amotion relevant to the first motion information that has been corrected.12. The information processing method according to claim 11, wherein theexpressing the motion of the object in an exaggerated manner by themotion mode, includes changing at least one of a size, a color, a shape,and a transparency of the object, based on a voice sound level of theuser of the other information processing device at the first spot or auser of the information processing device at the second spot.
 13. Theinformation processing method according to claim 10, further comprising:generating the object by one or more of motion modes, by performing atleast one of emphasizing and suppressing a motion relevant to the firstmotion information that has been corrected.
 14. The informationprocessing method according to claim 10, further comprising: selectingone correction content from a plurality of correction contents in arandom manner or by a probability that has been defined in advance, theplurality of correction contents corresponding to the first motioninformation that has been corrected.
 15. The information processingmethod according to claim 10, wherein the acquiring includes acquiringinformation relevant to the first spot from the other informationprocessing device of the first spot, and the specifying includesspecifying the first meaning information based on the information thathas been acquired.
 16. The information processing method according toclaim 10, wherein the correcting includes correcting the first motioninformation after a predetermined delay time has passed.
 17. Theinformation processing method according to claim 16, further comprising:acquiring second motion information of a user of the informationprocessing device at the second spot; specifying a first motion type ofthe user of the other information processing device at the first spotbased on the first motion information, and to specifying a second motiontype of the user of the information processing device at the second spotbased on the second motion information; detecting a communication delaybetween the other information processing device at the first spot andthe information processing device at the second spot; and correcting thefirst motion information that has been corrected, according to a delaytime including the predetermined delay time and the communication delay,the first motion type, and the second motion type.